Dry Ice
by gryffon47
Summary: Post 3A Teen Wolf. Post S2 E1 Arrow. What would happen if Felicity had her own secret she was hiding from the team, like the fact three days a month she turns into an alpha werewolf?
1. Chapter 1

_**Actually Important AN**_: Ok, so there are a few things I feel I need to say and you need to know before I send this new fic out into the great undefinable unknown that is the internet... So for the Teen Wolf fans this starts out post 3A. I will not be ignoring the major events of Season 3B or 4 I just want to add my own spin. For the Arrow fans this starts out post S2 E1, right after Felicity, Oliver and Diggle get back from Lian Yu (Because all Arrow fans know that Oliver, Felicity and Diggle never get a good night's sleep unless there are extenuating circumstances). I will not be ignoring the major events of Season 2 of Arrow, but I will be jumping to the space in between episodes for the first few chapters. Since this is a crossover, people will in fact be crossing over as in people from Starling City will go to Beacon Hills and people from Beacon Hills will go to Starling City and both groups of characters will interact with each other, and while that information is probably redundant, I felt it needed to be said. At one point I will also probably bring in Barry Allen/The Flash, so be prepared. ALSO Have faith, everything will be explained.

**Not Nearly as important AN**: Teen Wolf fans, I was very upset when when the Hale pack no longer had an alpha at the end of 3A, season 4 has since made up for that, making Derek a full wolf, but for a while I was understandably upset. This is to make up for the fact that the Hales don't have an alpha. Arrow fans, as season 3 progresses I AM NOT AMUSED, HAPPY, OR EVEN REMOTELY OK with the so called events beginning at the last two minutes at the end of season 3 episode 1, especially after the awesome-epicness that was the season 2 finale. I refuse to believe that 'THAT' had to happen for the sake of plot advancement.

unimportant AN (that you can totally ignore without feeling guilty): I feel I must apologize to any readers of my other two fics. I'm not sure I'm ever going to actually finish them, but I do know that they will be updated, I just don't know when, and for the record I do have new material for both of them, I just don't have it posted because I am having trouble with plot bunnies scurrying in random directions when I need them in a cage, a single well maintained cage. And if there are any pissed off Warehouse 13 Bering and Wells fans I feel compelled to tell you to visit the normal Wikipedia Page for Helena G. Wells. We do have a victory, look under the romantic interest section.

I DO NOT OWN EITHER OF THESE SHOWS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! This is my way of coping, and is being uploaded onto the internet for strictly entertainment purposes.

I don't think I have anything else to add... so... yeah...

* * *

><p>Felicity Smoak woke up in the middle of the night with an excruciating amount of pain agonizingly moving up her left arm towards her chest. Her first thought was that she was having a heart attack, but after discovering the pain continued to spread to her other extremities before circling back to her chest again, she had ruled out the possibility of a heart issue. Had she been able to see more clearly in the dark during those moments she would have realized that something black had been creeping through her veins, and as the pain began to disappear, so did the residual darkness. When the pain had completely subsided there was a blinding flash of light, followed by a much more intense pain, characterized by what felt like her head was exploding outwards, before blacking out.<p>

When she awoke the next morning she swore bombs were being dropped on the city. There was a constant crashing noise that was deafening, and with every bomb that landed her head pulsed and ears rang, so that each new sound created a type of overwhelming buzz, consuming all of her, or at least that's what it felt like. She hadn't even tried opening her eyes yet and she could already feel even more pain, this time emanating from the intense white light she was most likely staring at, if that made any sense to her addled mind at all.

She went through the list of possibilities of what could have happened in her head. She hadn't been drinking, so a hangover was out of the question. She had gone to sleep relatively early, so she doubted it was sleep deprivation. She thought about the possibility of being drugged, but the only thing she had consumed the night before was a plate of spaghetti she had cooked herself and a previously unopened bottle of water. The next logical possibility was kidnapping. That was it; she had been kidnapped in the middle of the night and was no longer in Starling City.

She then decided that if she had been kidnapped she wasn't going to make it easy on her kidnappers and needed to do whatever she could to buy time until Oliver and Diggle came to rescue her. Because her absence would most definitely be noticed when she didn't show up at Verdant for her regularly scheduled systems check at 10am, like she did every weekend. However when she opened her eyes and they had taken a few seconds to adjust to the glaring light, she realized she was in fact in her bed, in her room, in her home.

The pain in her head had lessened a small amount, and everything around her seemed to glow with a new energy and life she had never noticed before. It was then she heard a new noise, a crackling noise accompanied by the most delightful smell in the world, granted she couldn't identify it at that exact moment, but the rumbling in her stomach assured her that whatever the scent was it was absolutely and elegantly edible.

In her excitement to get down the stairs and promptly dive head first into what was no doubt the best breakfast she had ever eaten, she hadn't realized her mistake. And when she saw a strange man cooking in her kitchen it suddenly hit her, like running into a brick wall, she lived alone. She quickly surveyed her surroundings and noted that her home had not been ransacked, nothing appeared to be missing and the front door did not appear to have had the locks broken, or the doorway smashed, which was strange considering she specifically remembered locking the all of the doors and windows before she had gone to bed the previous night.

"Good morning Ms. Smoak," the man said politely. "I hope you don't mind but I let myself in and decided to make myself useful. The pain and confusion your are no doubt experiencing right now will subside, for the most part. And everything will be explained over breakfast."

"How did you get in my house?" Felicity asked.

"I found the spare key, under the plastic rock on your front porch. I understand completely if you wish to notify the police of my presence, however since I am technically your lawyer, it might get a bit awkward."

"I don't have a lawyer," Felicity said.

"Every Hale has access to my legal services, even you, Ms. Smoak. Your mother made sure of that before she died," he told her. "Actually, I should clarify, your biological mother, made sure of that."

"How did you know-"

"You were adopted," he finished for her. He had yet to turn away from the stove, the mystery lawyer. "I was the one who arranged for your adoption with the Smoak family. I kept tabs on you for your biological mother, as it was an open adoption, and when she died I had your juvenile records sealed, so that her enemies wouldn't become your enemies. Had she not been killed you would've been given the option of meeting her when you turned 18, and been given access to your trust fund at 25. Had the circumstances not drastically changed within the last month, I would have continued to keep tabs on you and you would have been none the wiser, however it appears I was correct in assuming you would be the next choice in the line of succession."

"What's that mean? What line of succession? Who are you and what are you talking about?" Felicity asked.

"Can you see ok, everything seems clear to you? Nothing blurry, or undefined?" he asked.

"What does-? Clearly I can see you, strange lawyer man, you're cooking a rather appetizing breakfast on my stove, and you managed to set my table? And I am now sufficiently creeped out." Felicity voiced.

"I was just wondering since you were not wearing your glasses," he noted. "Strange, isn't it, how you didn't immediately put them on when you got up a few moments ago."

"What are you talking about of course-" She reached up to her face to grab and fix her glasses slightly, when she realized she had never put them on. She had needed her glasses every single day of her life since she had turned eight. The optometrist had nearly declared her legally blind when he looked up her prescription a few months ago. It was so bad she could hardly see with contacts in at all. "What did you do to me?"

"I did nothing Ms. Smoak," He replied. He grabbed the pan from the stove and set it down on top of a pot holder he had placed on the kitchen table. There was a large spread of eggs, bacon, and sausage on the large frying pan, and after he set it down he looked up at her and for the first time Felicity could see his face.

He wasn't unattractive, from an objective viewpoint, but something about him tickled her spine. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was just unfamiliar. He was wearing a blue buttoned up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and she could tell he probably hadn't shaved in the last twenty four hours, but what stood out most were his eyes. His eyes weren't one color, like most peoples, if anything it was a mixture of several different colors, almost like a newborn's. The strangest thing about his presence was the fact she did not feel at all threatened by him. If she had to describe how she was feeling when he looked at her she would have to say safe. He wasn't assuming, or judgmental, or even analyzing her, he was just there, letting her adjust to his presence. And while it should have sufficiently sent off alarm bells in her head, for some reason she still felt safe.

"Who are you?" Felicity asked again, only this time with more awe and less suspicion.

"My name, Ms. Smoak, is Deucalion, and I do believe we have much to talk about."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So, updating on a semi regular basis is completely foreign to me. I hate giving myself deadlines. They're a necessary evil if you've had writer's block for twelve months but when you somehow manage to type up 65+ pages in less than a month on the same piece, it really isn't necessary. I had originally intended to post this before Arrow S3 E5, but I still had some major editing and plot holes to fix, so you're getting it a little over a week later than intended, I think? I'm not sure I like the formatting of this chapter, so it might change in the future, the content shouldn't change any, and if it does you will be notified. Reviews are amazing and receiving them is the highlight of my day, however I also feel very self conscious about leaving reviews to other people's works, so I understand if you don't review. That being said, keep the faith all will still be explained. Takes place after Roy discovers Sara/Canary beating up the bad guys in the glades the first time, so the end of S2 E1?

_Italics = Felicity's conversation with Deucalion after/during deliciously edible breakfast_

normal = Felicity's conversation with Oliver in Verdant's basement (or is it the Arrow's lair? I don't know) two days after the before mentioned breakfast.

Also, on a completely unrelated note I need a beta reader. If you're interested or you know anyone who would be interested feel free to message me.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1 and here we go.

* * *

><p><em>"What do you know about your parents Ms. Smoak?" Deucalion asked.<em>

_"My mother gave full custody rights to my aunt and uncle after my father's disappearance," Felicity admitted. "I know that a fire killed my mother and most of her family. I know that if it were not for my younger sister's murder, my brother and I would not be on speaking terms."_

_"Focus on your parents, Ms. Smoak," Deucalion chided._

_"I know my mother hated her job and my father loved his. I know that my father kept secrets from my uncle regarding his job. And I know the only real birthday present I ever got from my mother was put into the family vault, which I am not allowed access to."_

_"Do you know why you weren't given access?" _

_"No, I just told Laura to put it where I would never be able to find it. The family vault seemed like the best place," Felicity sighed. "What is the point in all of this? The only family I ever cared about was murdered, and you show up here like I should know you, talking about parent's I never even met and going on about some stupid inheritance bull shit. Whatever it is I don't want it, so just give it to Derek and get out of my house."_

_"Ms. Smoak, I'm going to ask you something that is going to sound crazy, but I assure you that it is very real and very dangerous. Were you ever told about werewolves when you were a child?"_

* * *

><p>"Felicity, do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Oliver asked.<p>

"Hmm?" the tech questioned.

* * *

><p><em>"Of course I know about werewolves; almost every person on the planet knows what a werewolf is. You'd have to live under a rock to not know."<em>

_"That's not what I asked. Did your aunt and uncle or your younger siblings ever tell you about werewolves? Do you remember any of them specifically sitting you down and telling you about werewolves or packs or even magic?"_

_Felicity shook her head and scoffed. "I think you need to leave, leave and never come here or talk to me again."_

_"I wish things were that simple, Ms. Smoak," Deucalion told her. "But someone has to warn you about what you're up against."_

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What am I up against, besides a stranger who has entered my home talking about people I never knew and things that aren't real?"_

_"If they're not real, then what do you call those?" he asked, pointing to her hands, which were now sporting claws and been effectively driven into the dining room table._

* * *

><p>"We're friends and I've known you long enough to know that you hate silence. So the fact that you haven't said a single word in three hours, not even to curse at the computers under your breath, leads me to believe that something is bothering you. So I'm asking as your friend, do you want to talk?" Oliver asked.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Felicity moved her hands and fingers, taking small chips out of the table top when her claws were moved. She stared at her hands in wonder and shock, wanting to blink and have everything go back to normal, but when she opened her eyes again and again, nothing changed. She still had claws, Deucalion was still in her home, and she really had taken chunks out of her tabletop. <em>

_"The reason your mother gave full custody to your aunt and uncle is because she was a werewolf, just like your siblings, your grandparents, the rest of your mother's family, and your father. She was scared that since you weren't a wolf your grandfather would try and kill you, and after what he did to your father, she had a very real reason to be." _

* * *

><p>"My family life is complicated," Felicity began. "And I feel I should properly warn you before you open up this very large can of worms you happen to be holding, because once I begin to start talking I probably won't stop for at least thirty minutes."<p>

"Then it's a good thing I've got a few hours," Oliver told her. "So, what's on your mind?"

* * *

><p><em>"What am I?" Felicity asked. "If I'm not a werewolf, then what am I? Why do I have claws? Why don't I need my glasses? What made me so dangerous?"<em>

_"Ms. Smoak, despite what your mother was led to believe, what we had all been led to believe, you are in fact a werewolf, an alpha werewolf of enormous power," he told her. "The fact that you are shifting instinctually, your senses have been sharpened, and your current eye color has changed all indicate that something was done to you, something unfathomable."_

_ "What, did some shaman mess up a spirit reading or something? Or do you have doctors for these things?"_

_"What it means is that your grandfather attempted to have you and your parents murdered, and for us, for our people, attempting to sever the line of succession is the worst crime we can commit." _

* * *

><p>Felicity took a large breath and let it out slowly, almost wanting to question as to why she felt the sudden urge to confide in Oliver, but decided that he was right and they were friends and she definitely needed to talk to someone. "Have I ever mentioned the fact that I was adopted?"<p>

Oliver shook his head back and forth, but made a motion with his hand that signified she should continue.

* * *

><p><em>"You wouldn't remember this, but I was the one who delivered you to your father's relatives, and I periodically checked on you until you turned five," Deucalion began. "Well, the family members who were not involved in the supernatural aspects of the world. Your father, Martin, was an emissary, he was training when we first met." <em>

_"Emissaries provide two important roles in a wolf pack, one is to provide council to all the wolves, not just the alpha, to help them lead and grow not only as individuals, but as a pack, a single cohesive unit. The second role is so wolves do not grow arrogant in their abilities. While it is true we have many strengths, we also have many weaknesses like mountain ash and wolf's bane, the emissary reminds us that balance is more important than power. They are the constant reminder that while wolves are stronger and faster, that does not make them better, because only humans can use magic, and it is that magic that makes every species unique and defines what they are."_

_"The idea at the time was for us, your father and I, to train together so we would bond not only as comrades and allies but as friends. We grew up together, like brothers, and while we knew that neither of us was truly better than the other, we realized that we each had different roles. But like all life's events, nothing ever goes as planned."_

* * *

><p>"My Godfather, Deucalion, dropped me off at my father's aunt and uncle's house when I was a month old, with a letter from my mother explaining that she didn't believe it would be safe for me to stay with her family that she feared for my life" Felicity explained.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"When we were in law school things changed," Deucalion admitted. "There was a summit between the packs and we were both expected to attend, that's where your parents met. I was my father's second at the time, his heir. I knew of the other alphas and their seconds, having met them all a few times before, but this was the first time all of us were in the same room. It wasn't customary for emissaries to actively engage in the affairs of other packs, their counsel was always freely given to those who asked, but for an emissary to ignore their own pack's wellbeing in favor of another's was dishonorable. That being said, Martin was his usual late and charming self." Deucalion laughed and shook his head at the memories; pausing his narrative for a moment to reflect and reminisce. "He didn't know anyone at the summit besides the emissaries he had gone to primary school with and the pack he had been raised by. He relied on me to not mess up my colleagues identities just as I relied on him not to mess up on his."<em>

_"Your mother, Talia, was a second, just as I was, and while we had met and got along, we knew we weren't romantically compatible. Female wolves, especially alpha females, are often said to have the ability to recognize their mates instantly, sometimes before they've even met, and once a mated pair has met they will never separate willingly. That being said, for your father anyways, it was very much love at first sight. Naturally they spent the rest of the night and most of the morning only paying attention to each other, talking and dancing just getting to know one another. They were the last ones in the room when the party ended at one am, and then six hours later I had to drag both of them to breakfast, because they still hadn't left the room. It was obvious by the time everyone was eating the next morning what had happened."_

* * *

><p>"My aunt and uncle didn't know the specifics of my parent's marriage, other than the fact my parents were head over heels and my mother's family, specifically my grandfather Isaiah, didn't approve."<p>

* * *

><p><em>"It's taboo in our culture to fight a mated pairing," Deucalion explained to her. "History has shown us that it doesn't end well for anyone involved, the more extreme cases ending in multiple pack massacres, and in one extreme case the slaughter of an entire town and its inhabitants, so when your mother's father, Isaiah, objected to the union he was facing mutiny from his own pack but also banishment should he act. He did however, have the right to make his objections known, which he did, loudly and repeatedly. This made your father all the more determined to get your grandfather's blessing. His final attempt was what got him killed." <em>

_"The packs at the summit had already accepted your parent's union, by pack law their union had been accepted and that was what mattered to our people. Despite knowing that, your father was determined to get Isaiah's blessing so, shortly after your mother found out she was pregnant with you, Isaiah told him if he became a wolf he would provide his blessing. Isaiah led us to believe that your father didn't survive, that his body had rejected being turned, and when you were born we assumed that Isaiah was telling the truth because you hadn't been born a wolf. And while there was nothing wrong with you being a human, at that point we knew enough about genetics and biology to know that there was the possibility the trait wouldn't be handed down, and while it was archaic thinking to believe that having a human heir would make the pack weak, enough people believed for it to be an issue. Since your father had already died, there was no possibility of another heir from his bloodline, and unfortunately poor timing and fear forced your mother's hand."_

_"What does that have to do with him wanting to kill my parents?" Felicity asked. "What does any of this have to do with anything?"_

_"A human cannot become an alpha werewolf," he said. "There is no such thing as an instant alpha. All wolves, either turned or born, are automatically betas or omegas; becoming an alpha is something one earns. You would not be an alpha right now if you were not born a wolf, which means that Isaiah lied. It means your father was murdered, and your mother was most likely poisoned while she was pregnant with you."_

_"I told you that your father wanted Isaiah's blessing. It's not a guaranteed thing to be turned into a werewolf. There are a few factors, the most significant being age, and while it is true genetics do play a factor, one thing is absolute, if you are human and you do not turn you die. When Isaiah returned alone, he claimed your father hadn't turned, that he had died rejecting the change. Some didn't believe him, but when you were born most of that doubt subsided. The belief that you were human was enough proof to the others that Martin had rejected the change."_

_"Everything that happened after that event must have been carefully orchestrated, because any single detail being leaked or shared with another pack would've been a death sentence for Isaiah. And while there are a number of ways he could've been able to pass you off as human as an infant, all of them would've ended with Talia dying shortly after childbirth. I can only assume that your mother being a true wolf is what allowed her to survive."_

_"What's a true wolf?" Felicity asked._

_"A true wolf is a rare form of werewolf that literally has the ability to turn into an actual wolf. It's considered an honor for someone to possess the ability to truly and completely change from one form to another. Most werewolves have what is known as a hybrid form, a half form if you will. It's where we take on certain aspects of wolves while still maintaining most of our human characteristics: claws, fangs, eye color, enhanced senses, and our often animal like natures. We tend to resemble the traditional werewolf from many different cultures folklore, appearing as a monster, or a mix between the two."_

_"After you were born your mother believed that Isaiah was going to turn you on your first full moon and if he had you would most likely be dead. While at the time it wasn't considered wrong to have a human child born from a werewolf, Isaiah was raised to believe that wolves were superior to humans, a belief that was shared among a select few of the alphas. Talia knew her father wouldn't stand for having a human in his pack, that he would turn you or kill you. The turn rate for children under four is five percent. We didn't have the exact numbers then, but your mother knew it was a death sentence either way."_

_"It was no secret your mother didn't want to be an alpha. In fact your grandparents had been trying to have more children for years, but when your mother became of age and she was still an only child she was forced to be the next in line. She didn't want you to be forced into anything you didn't want. She wanted you to be able to have a choice in your future and while she wanted nothing more than to raise you herself she knew you would be safer with your father's family, so the night before the full moon she snuck you out of the house and once she was over the territory line she had me take you to your father's relatives. They lived on neutral ground, and besides knowing of our existence they weren't involved in our affairs, meaning that once you were on their property, Isaiah had no claim over you. Your mother loved you so much, that she would rather see you happy and safe with people she barely knew than have you die. I know you've probably heard this part before, but you meant the world to your mother. She never forgave Isaiah, and she often said giving you up was the hardest thing she'd ever done." _

* * *

><p>"They agreed to take me in, no questions asked; the only thing my mother wanted was for me to know that she loved me. It never bothered me that I was adopted, my aunt and uncle loved me but aside from my Godfather I knew next to nothing about any other member of my family."<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I was your only contact between you and your mother for the first few years, but when I became alpha of my own pack it was too dangerous for my visits to continue. Isaiah spun a web of lies about how you had died during your first full moon, so you were safe from your mother's enemies, but if I had continued to visit my enemies and your father's enemies would've found you eventually and they would've killed you. By the time you were three your mother had officially been alpha of the Hale pack for two years, and your younger sister had been born a wolf, so the line of succession was set. That was when your mother left the decision of when to tell you in the hands of your aunt and uncle."<em>

* * *

><p>"When I was five my aunt gave me my first set of letters, they were from my mom. She sent me a letter for every month of my life since I had come to stay with my relatives. That was when I realized my mom loved me; that my parents were real people and I wasn't just dropped on my aunt and uncle's doorstep by the stork."<p>

"I spent hours memorizing every word she wrote me, and more than anything I wanted to write back, but like my father, I was very much a perfectionist and I was determined that my first letter would be a masterpiece. It was such a masterpiece that it took two years, and wound up resembling a box full of paper more than an actual letter, mostly because I had decided to send my mom everything. My homework, class worksheets, art projects, crayon drawings, it was a very extensive collection. The letter I received after that was my favorite. That was when she told me about my younger siblings, and sent me pictures of everyone. I never knew someone could take so many baby pictures, and most of them were mine, so I can only imagine how many my mom had of Laura and Derek and Cora. They lived with their dad. One of the reasons that Isiah hated my father was that my mother was betrothed to my sibling's dad before my parents had met. Apparently, my parents did not have my grandfather's blessing but after a very long conversation with the rest of the family, Isaiah knew he'd lost the fight and that they would have gotten married anyway. At that point my mother was set to take over the family business, and being the only heir at the time probably had more to do with his acceptance than anything else. My mom was four month's pregnant when my dad went missing. If Mom ever found out anything definitive about his disappearance she never told me, but she suspected it was foul play. After dad was declared dead my mother was forced back into her engagement, and she never forgave my grandfather for it."

"My family is what you would call old money, very old fashioned, very strict to their code of honor, and as Laura liked to often put it, ass backwards as usual. Right after I was born my grandmother, by some miracle was pregnant again, with a boy. Mom and Isaiah were furious, for completely different reasons. My mom didn't want the business, she hated it, hated everything about it, and especially hated that it kept her from filing for custody of her children. Isaiah was furious because when my mother was pregnant with me he had officially handed over the keys to the kingdom to Mom, and that wasn't something that could be undone. She was head of the family now."

* * *

><p><em>"Laura was five when she found your pictures," her godfather admitted. "And she was angry. She had been very vocal about wanting a sister, so when she found out she had one and hadn't been told she was on a warpath. That was the day she cemented her position as second, and Isaiah, who was on his deathbed, was furious. She stormed into the kitchen during lunch and demanded someone drive her to where you lived and bring you home. There was no asking for permission to leave, there was just Laura with a set of car keys in one hand and coat in the other, saying if no one drove her to your aunt and uncle's house she wasn't coming back until she managed to convince you to go with her and the entire time she yelled her eyes were red, the eyes of an alpha. The rest of the family was in shock, and Talia had the biggest smile on her face. For an alpha to claim a human as a pack member takes so much strength and determination when they're an adult and they have formed a strong bond with this person, so for five year old Laura to claim someone she had never even met as a pack member when she was still technically a potential second, much less a child, meant the world Talia. She was so proud, not just of your sister's accomplishment, but what it meant. Your younger sister unknowingly gave you your freedom not just to choose your future and still guarantee your family's acceptance, but she guaranteed your safety as a Hale, which meant if you wanted to, you could stay with them."<em>

_"Much to Laura's disappointment, it was not as simple as picking you up from your aunt and uncle's house and bringing you to California. Talia felt you were old enough to choose where you wanted to stay, and didn't want to take your options away from you now that your safety was no longer an issue. Then less than a week later you had sent her your reply to Talia's letters, and Laura took it as a sign to commence what became known as 'Operation get Felicity out of Kansas'."_

* * *

><p>"I was seven when Laura sent me a letter. She was barely five and had only just started writing and reading, so it was more of a drawing than anything else, but after that we were thick as thieves. Mom even sent us both phone cards every month so we could call each other every night. Needless to say my aunt and uncle hated when the phone bill arrived, because calling out of state was not cheap, and the phone cards never made it past the one week mark. We still wrote to each other constantly, and Laura kept me updated on all of the family drama so I was always in the loop. It wasn't until after Isaiah died that Derek, my younger brother, decided to contact me and god did he drive Laura and I up the walls. I didn't even live with him and he still pushed all my buttons any chance he got, so I can't imagine what Laura went through. He was such a brat, he used to tell everyone that his favorite activity was aggravating his older sisters and following my uncle Peter everywhere he went. Cora was born shortly after my ninth birthday, Laura was seven and Derek was six. My mom was on bed rest for a large majority of her pregnancy, and did the phone bills increase. With Mom being in bed all day and doctor's orders of no stress, all she did was call us. Thank god we weren't in school, or I think my mother would've demanded for all of us to be pulled out for the soul purpose of making her life bearable."<p>

"Despite being close with my mom I never met her. She died a week before my eighteenth birthday. Mom had made arrangements for all of us to do something for the occasion, I wasn't supposed to know, but my aunt let it slip two weeks before when I mentioned wanting to stay home for my birthday and not wanting to do anything."

* * *

><p><em>"I mentioned earlier, that when you turned eighteen you would've had the option of meeting Talia, however I have come to suspect this wasn't news to you. I was aware of your correspondence, but I wasn't certain of what she had told you. But you deserve to know the truth, given the circumstances. As far as I knew she was planning on asking you to stay with her, she was going to tell you everything, but she wasn't stupid, she had a back-up plan for everything. She wanted me to deliver a letter to you in case you ever did become an alpha. I would like to believe that she would like the current set of circumstances better than what she had originally imagined, mostly due to the fact you still have family to go to for help; you are not alone." He placed a yellowed envelope on Felicity's kitchen table with her name written on it in what she knew to be her mother's writing.<em>

* * *

><p>"There was a fire, and it killed everyone except for Cora and Uncle Peter. They couldn't find Cora's remains so she was declared missing, and then subsequently declared dead two years later. Peter was in a coma for six years because of the severity of the burns. Laura and Derek were at school when it happened. I chose not to go to the funeral. It seemed less real that way, like the fire hadn't actually happened. That didn't stop Laura though. She showed up on my aunt's porch the day after my birthday with the biggest trunk I had ever seen. Apparently we all had one that we were going to get on our eighteenth birthdays. To this day I still don't know what's in it. And it was the best and worst birthday all rolled into one."<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I have left my contact information on your refrigerator should you ever need any assistance," he told her. "If you are anything like your father, you will no doubt use this information to perform a proper background check and verify certain details of what I have told you with your relatives, both human and wolf. I can only hope that what I've told you will bring you some sort of peace and acceptance with the challenges you find in front of you." He got up from his chair, and deposited his dirty dishes in the sink before handing Felicity her house key, and heading towards the door. "Just one more small piece of advice, might I suggest a new hiding place for your spare key. You never can be too careful about security these days."<em>

* * *

><p>"I don't know why I'm telling you all of this," Felicity admitted.<p>

"Maybe you just needed to tell someone about it?"

* * *

><p><em>"What?" Felicity questioned in confusion before deciding to follow after the stranger who was, apparently, family. "Hey! Wait a second!" She got up and grabbed the stranger's arm in order to get him to stop. "You do realize that you just shattered every single thing I thought I knew for the past twenty-six years? You don't get to just throw a boulder through a stained glass window and walk away. I have questions, questions that I would really like answers to, like what the hell is happening to me? And how do you know all of this stuff?"<em>

_"Ms. Smoak as I have explained, you are a werewolf. Your mother's entire family consisted of werewolves, and a large majority of your father's family was dedicated to helping werewolves and keeping them safe," Deucalion said. "And while I admit I do not know what Isaiah did to you or if there will be any lasting side effects now that your abilities are active, I do know in three days-time you will turn, and there is a very large chance you will lose control and kill. I am warning you that if you do not contact someone for help you will regret it."_

_"You mean Derek? The brother I've never even seen and haven't spoken to more than twice in the past eight years? Because I'm not sure if you got the memo or not but my brother will not talk to me, he has made it very clear, despite my large number of attempts to communicate with him. He didn't even call me until a month after Laura died, and by then the cops and reporters had already beat him to it! How in the hell am I supposed to get him to help me?"_

_"There is another option," Deucalion admitted. "Scott McCall is your brother's alpha. Like you he has recently become an alpha and while it would mean communicating with your family and announcing yourself as the new Hale alpha, it is the only other option I can honestly say would not end in bloodshed. Going to any other packs would jeopardize your safety, if not from other alphas, then from other ambitious pack members."_

* * *

><p>"I don't know, maybe it's just that the stress is too much. I grew up believing that I would most likely never take over for my mom. She didn't want any of us to take over, but Isaiah was insistent on one of us learning how to lead. Laura volunteered, unintentionally, but it still happened. I guess when Laura died, it never occurred to me that I might have to take over, and now Derek stepped down and Peter is in no shape to take over and Cora is in High School for fuck's sake, I'm only one left and I don't have a choice."<p>

"What exactly did your mother do?" Oliver asked.

* * *

><p><em>"Why couldn't you train me?" Felicity asked.<em>

_"Ms. Smoak my past is not pleasant, to say the least," Deucalion admitted. "There was a time when I was what your father called a good man and a good alpha. However, those days are long behind me. These past several years I have made selfish decisions, put my own wellbeing above my pack's, made enemies out of everyone I have come across, and sought only power in this world. I swore to your parents to protect and watch over you, which I've done. Your mother made me swear to inform you of your birth right, which I have also done. And now I find myself in debt to your brother and his alpha for sparing my life and looking past the monster I had become, to see the man I once was and giving me a chance to change. What you ask could mean the beginning of the end for me. I am not naive or stupid; I know that while I would never knowingly hurt you, there is the possibility that I would train you to be what your mother truly feared. You are asking me to walk a very fine line and should I trip and fall, it will not be just me who I condemn but you as well." _

* * *

><p>Felicity wanted to tell Oliver the truth, tell him that her mother was a prominent leader in the supernatural community, because she was a well-respected alpha werewolf. That her siblings had been raised by a pack instead of a family, and that her father had attempted to appease her grandfather by becoming a wolf, despite being a powerful druid and well renowned emissary.<p>

"If I told you now, you wouldn't believe me," she answered. "And it's not that I don't trust you, it's because I haven't exactly come to terms with all of the obligations associated with my position. I promise to tell you, I just have to figure out how to deal with it myself first. And I swear it's nothing illegal."

* * *

><p><em>"Those who do not recognize temptation when they look it in the eye are the ones who you know will fall victim to its treacheries. It's the people who see the world for what it is that should truly not be afraid of the approaching horizon and who it brings," Felicity said. "Because all they need is a steady hand to help guide them through the storm." <em>

_For a second she thought Deucalion was going to continue to walk out the door and she would never see him again, that he wouldn't recognize the significance of what she had said. Instead the man shook his head and smiled. "Where did you hear that, Ms. Smoak?"_

_"I may not have been raised by my father, but I know what he believed in," Felicity answered. "And while the only things I have from him are a faded photograph and a tattered notebook, I know he would want you to train me in the absence of my mother, because he believed in you. And I would have to be blind to not see that despite your flaws and mistakes you are still the person my father considered family. My uncle always used to tell me my dad was the most stubborn person in the world, and while it meant he could be a bit of a jackass, it didn't make what he said wrong."_

_"How is it a man who has been dead more than a quarter of a century can still knock me flat on my back?" Deucalion chuckled_

* * *

><p>"Do you like what you do, taking over for your mom I mean?"<p>

"I don't know yet, I have to get through the basics first."

"Do you think you could like it?" Oliver questioned.

"Possibly, I never thought about it before Deucalion had told me I was next in line. How did you handle everything, when you first took over the company while your mother was occupied?"

"Honestly, I'm still just trying not to drown in the deep end."

"I don't suppose you could loan me a life preserver?"

"You won't need one," he told her. "If they have any common sense they'll realize you're a force to be reckoned with and they'll fall in line. You're a natural born swimmer; all you have to do is jump in the water."

* * *

><p><em>"So… where do we start?" Felicity asked.<em>


End file.
